The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for receiving confidential documents.
Conventionally, a facsimile machine prints each and every incoming message on a piece of paper upon arrival. The documents are open to everyone passing by the facsimile machine. Therefore, the intended receiver cannot be sure that he or she is the first one to read the incoming document.
Memory chips have been built into facsimile machines for storing and retrieving confidential messages. A first problem is that the memory chip quickly runs out of storage capacity. A second problem is that the memory chip is expensive, so that most families or small businesses cannot afford it. A third problem is that if power to the facsimile machine is interrupted, the messages stored in the memory will be lost. Although batteries can be used to solve this problem, batteries are an additional cost and have recharging problems of their own.